Reimbursement Reviews

Once Health Canada has approved a drug for use in Canada, the country’s public drug programs and cancer agencies must decide if the drug will be eligible for public reimbursement. The drug reimbursement review process plays an important role in their decision-making processes.

Through our review process, we conduct thorough and objective evaluations of the clinical, economic, patient, and clinician evidence on drugs, and uses these evaluations to provide reimbursement recommendations and advice to federal, provincial, and territorial public drug plans and provincial cancer agencies (with the exception of Quebec), as well as Canadian Blood Services.

The objectives of the drug reimbursement review process is to reduce duplication across jurisdictions, maximize the use of limited resources, and enhance the consistency of drug reviews. It is important to note that our recommendations are non-binding and each drug program makes its own reimbursement decisions based on  our recommendation, as well as other factors, including the plan’s mandate, jurisdictional priorities, and financial resources.

An overview of the Drug Reimbursement Reviews.